Rescue team heads for meteor site

RUSSIAN authorities have reportedly sent a 20,000-strong team to the Ural Mountains to help with the rescue and clean-up operation after a meteor exploded.

The 10-tonne meteor caused panic in the Chelyabinsk region in southern Russia on Friday when it streaked through the atmosphere and created a sonic boom.

More than 1000 people were injured, mostly by shattered glass.

According to Russia's academy of sciences, the meteor broke apart 30-50km above the Earth's surface, releasing several kilotonnes of energy - the same as a small atomic weapon.

The meteorite is believed to have landed in a lake near Chebarkul, a town in the Chelyabinsk region.

Russian president Vladimir Putin thanked God that no large fragments had fallen in populated areas, while Russia's emergencies ministry urged calm, saying radiation levels were normal.

Dramatic amateur video showed the meteor streaking across the sky on Friday morning. It caused a bright flash of light and left a white trail of smoke.

Tim O'Brien, associate director of the University of Manchester's Jodrell Bank Observatory, said: "It made a sonic boom in the atmosphere, and that hit buildings and shattered windows. That is what seems to have caused the injuries.

"It's a completely abnormal experience. This thing appeared in the distance, raced over the horizon and was followed up 30 seconds or a minute later by a huge boom as the shockwave hit the ground. I can imagine that would be very frightening."

Sergey Hametov, a resident of Chelyabinsk, said: "There was panic. People had no idea what was happening. Everyone was going around to people's houses to check if they were okay.

"We saw a big burst of light, then went outside to see what it was and we heard a really loud thundering sound."